It’s a bit hard to believe that one of the most thrilling NCAA derbies in years has only just gotten started, but, it’s true, the Sweet 16, Elite Eight and Final Four are still to come in the next couple of weeks. While many of the top teams like Wichita State, Kansas, Duke, Syracuse, Oklahoma State, Creighton, North Carolina and Oklahoma have bowed out early, taking considerable star power with them (Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker, Rodney Hood, Marcus Smart and Doug McDermott to name a handful), there’s a number of dandy matchups on tap, starting Thursday. But more on that tomorrow.

Can we make sense of what’s gone on so far first? Well, the tournament remains a highlight on the sporting calendar, even if the quality of basketball can be pretty horrid most of the time compared to the NBA game.